Daily Inspiration: Meet Kaci Bolls

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kaci Bolls.

Hi Kaci, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

Hello!  Thank you for having me.  My story is best summarized in three acts: Act 1: Music, Act 2: Kindergarten teacher, and Act 3: Career mash-up (Music + Kindergarten teacher = kids’ music artist/children’s book author). Tadah!

Act 1: Jump Ropes. The metal ends of seatbelts. Hairbrushes. All microphones to me. Pre-internet in the small town of Kentucky, the biggest dream I had was to be in a show at Opryland USA in Nashville. I got a big NO three times. Then – by fluke – I got hired as a last-minute replacement. I was in HEAVEN. Rip-away costumes, four shows a day – yes, please.

I had no idea people got paid to write songs. I mean, I had performed at my high school’s Mardi Gras night with an original song to get my boyfriend back (it worked, by the way – but the date I was with wasn’t too pleased), but people can do this for a JOB? Yep. And before traditional publishing deals went the way of the dinosaur, I was lucky enough to hold four of them.

As I was writing, I fell into session and background singing, got courted for a record deal, wrote with the likes of Eric Church and Chris Stapleton, and sang the demo for “Before He Cheats.” I was even a backup singer for Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie “Country Strong.”Not bad for a girl who just wanted a rip-away sequin costume at Opryland!

Act 2: Pre-music row, I had been a camp counselor and a full-time nanny and prided myself on being SuperAunt. The point is I LOVE kids. I AM a kid. But I had no kids of my own. I was turning 40 and felt a heart tug to change course. One curiosity class at Lipscomb University led to my master’s in K-6 Instructional Practice. That led to “just a year in the classroom for a change of pace.” I’ve now taught kindergarten for 10 years. It’s something I never could have seen coming – but now I can’t imagine it going.

Act 3: My pal Nathan Meckel called me one afternoon. He launched into a persuasive monologue about his boutique record label’s consideration of adding artists to the roster for children’s music. It was the biggest no-brainer, epic career mash-up EVER. We wrote, recorded, and released “Dare To Be Me” in August 2020. It went to #1 on Sirius XM Kids Place Live! We’ve had five more top-five singles and a Christmas song.

Then, it was my turn to be persuasive. I have always been a book lover, and of course, I have a huge collection of children’s books in my classroom. The message of “Dare To Be Me” hung around and kept popping back up in conversations with fellow teachers, kids, and parents.

So, why not write our own children’s book inspired by the song? I want the message of confidence and empowerment to be on every child’s bookshelf. Our children’s book, “Dare To Be Me” was released last fall (distributed by Simon and Schuster) and we are now entering an exciting phase of author visits and live concerts.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest obstacle for me has always been getting out of my own way. Sometimes, the things we think we want the most are there for us, just wrapped up in a different package. You have to be willing to let go of the way things ‘are supposed to look’ and allow the custom-tailored things to show up.

It was hard to walk away from being in music full-time for a while because my identity was completely wrapped up in it. I stood in front of my first kindergarten class of parents and said, “I do NOT know what I’m doing yet… I’m really just a singer/songwriter – but I’m going to give it my ALL.” I knew I wanted children in my life – but instead of becoming a mom, I get to fall in love with 20 new five-year-olds every year. The families in my east Nashville community are now like my extended family members.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love being a kindergarten teacher, and I don’t see giving that up anytime soon. I love connecting with fellow teachers and sharing ideas, tips, tricks, and stories. Sharing what kindergarten looks like today with parents is also a passion of mine. I have a free downloadable PDF called “10 Things Your Kindergarten Teacher Really Wants You To Know Before They Go.”

My partner, Nathan Meckel, and I decided to turn our ventures into an official business, KBK. We love to create custom-tailored author visits for schools and libraries to fit a range of needs. We have partnered with schools and foundations to gift a copy of our book to every student, which allows us to come and present a multi-media presentation to inspire and entertain students and staff alike. And, of course, our author visits include music!

What does success mean to you?
To me, success is creating something that brings joy to others.

Having our song, “Dare To Be Me,” go to number 1 was a huge success for us, but the bigger and longer-lasting feeling comes from hearing kids still singing it, seeing a child wearing the t-shirt, or now reading the book. Knowing that I have had a small part in pouring positive messages into kids feels really special to me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kacibolls.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kacibollskids/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kacibollskids
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/kacibollskids
• Other: www.kacibolls.com/links

Image Credits
Allison Gower Photography, Lindsay McAlister, and Amanda Van Sandt